


Keep Moving Forward

by emjac



Category: Kingdom (TV 2014)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:14:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26895790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emjac/pseuds/emjac
Summary: Alvey counsels his college-aged daughter through a crisis.
Relationships: Alvey Kulina/Lisa Prince, Alvey Kulina/oc
Kudos: 8





	Keep Moving Forward

**Author's Note:**

> I recently found this series on Netflix and loved it. Alvey's character is my favorite. He is so misunderstood by the people around him. He deserved much better from everyone. Here is my story of his daughter, who I created. I enjoyed imagining it and writing it. Hope someone enjoys reading it. Please leave a review when you are done. I would love them!

The warm night air hit Chelsea in the face as she exited the police station with her father close behind her. It added to the adrenaline racing through her body. “Oh my God,” she said, skipping down the cement steps. “What a crazy night!”

“Are you kidding me right now?” The icy tone to her father’s voice stopped her and her head swung to him. “You were just arrested.”

“Dad, it’s not a big deal.” Perhaps he had misunderstood the situation. “They didn’t press any charges against me. I didn’t do anything wrong. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

He stopped so that he stood, towering, a step above her. “Yeah? The wrong place? Outside the Dean’s office at ten o’clock on a Friday night? What was that? A coincidence?”

Chelsea wanted to take a step back from his fiery eyes, but held her ground. Past experience taught her to meet her father head-on or be run over by him. “We were protesting. But I didn’t cause any damage. It was those other guys. They started breaking the windows.”

“Well, then I guess that would have been a perfect time for you to beat the hell out of there.” He started down the stairs again, leaving her to trail behind him this time. 

“I couldn’t leave my friends,” she said, hurrying to catch up to him.

“Your friends?” He turned and she stopped short again. “You mean those people you met three weeks ago? That’s who you’re loyal to?” When she had no answer for that he turned back towards the truck which was parked at the curb. “Get in!”

With a pit in her stomach, Chelsea climbed into the cab. She thought of moving to the back seat to be as far away from him as possible, but chose the less dramatic approach. “I’m taking you home. You can stay with me and Lisa for the weekend. I’ll take you back to the dorms Sunday night.”

“You can just take me back to the dorms now.” It was worth a try.

He drove in the opposite direction of the college. “Not happening. You and I are going to have a long conversation.”

Chelsea let out a short exhale and willed her mouth to stay shut. There was no arguing with Alvey when he was this angry. She sat straight and kept her head facing forward, resisting the urge to sink down in the seat and rest against the window. Her eyes closed and she kept them that way for the twenty minute ride. Had it been a bit longer, she would have fallen asleep. The excitement of the night had taken more out of her than she realized. Alvey turned off the engine and exited the car without further acknowledgement of her presence. She felt like she was five years old, walking into the house behind him. He went right to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of whiskey that had, no doubt, been left behind when he received the call from the station.. 

To her relief, Lisa sat at the counter and jumped up when they walked through the room. She greeted Chelsea with a hug. “Hey,” she said. “Are you ok?”

Before she could answer, Alvey jumped in. “Oh, she’s perfectly fine. Thinks it’s fucking hysterical I had to pick her up from jail in the middle of the night.”

Chelsea’s resolve was about to break. “That’s not true.” Her voice was smaller than she intended.

“All right,” LIsa said. “Let’s go to bed and worry about this tomorrow.”

Thankful for the exit plan, Chelsea turned away from her parents as Alvey growled, “Come here.”

She moved towards him, betraying eyes filled with tears that she struggled to keep from falling. Alvey did not miss this and when she was within arms length he reached for her shoulder and pulled her close. Moving both hands to the side of her face, he kissed her forehead and said, “I’m glad you’re safe,” before releasing her and throwing back the rest of his drink. Chelsea hurried out of the room so her shed tears would remain unseen. Even her father’s final call of, “I’m getting you up at 6 for the gym,” did not stop her.

Lisa poured him another round of whiskey and sidled next to him. “Settle down.”

“She thinks this is a joke.” He eyed the drink and ran a finger around the rim.

“Really? Are we looking at the same girl? ‘Cause she wasn’t laughing when she walked through that door.” Her hand snaked up to settle on his lower back.

Alvey nodded. “Yeah, well. That’s because I scared her. Not because she gets it.” He took a small pull on his drink.

“Do you remember when we moved her into the dorms? That counselor? The one person we stopped to talk to. Do you remember what she said?”

He tilted his head to her and took a moment to think. “Refresh my memory.”

“She said to watch out for the third week. That’s when the anxiety and the home sickness will come to a head.”

“She said that?” he asked. Lisa nodded and he swished the liquor around in the glass, considering how much more of it he wanted. “She was surprised I was mad.” He finished the drink. “I’ll sit her down tomorrow.” 

“Go easy on her, please. Try to figure out what’s wrong. Would you rather I talk to her?”

He turned his hips and squared them with hers, pulling her to him. “So you can hold her hand and take her shopping? No. She’s my daughter. Relax, momma bear. I got this.”

“Well, go easy on her, Tiger. She needs someone in her corner.” Lisa rested her palms on his chest. 

He kissed the corner of her mouth. “No promises.” When Lisa pulled back and scowled, he laughed and added, “I’m kidding. I’m kidding. I just want her to be ok. She has a great future ahead of her, as long as she doesn’t fuck it up. Come here.” He tugged her closer. “You can take her shopping when I’m done. She's lucky to have you.” He began a deep dive into her mouth before saying, “I'm lucky to have you. Let’s go to bed.”

KKKKKKKKKK

Coffee in hand, Chelsea leaned over the railing on the second floor of the Navy St. Gym, overlooking the main level and her father, in the middle of his workout, shadow boxing, lifting weights and beating himself up. She had not been in the gym this early in quite some time and the intensity with which he worked both awed and frightened her. His strength was enormous. His routine was brutal. She watched him fight demons in his mind, fearful that her troubles were mixed in with them. Was he thinking of her when he pummeled that bag? She felt every hit as she choked down the sludgy beverage. He was punishing himself, and it punished her. The third rate coffee churned in her stomach but she could not turn herself away from the scene she was witnessing. In the midst of it, he growled out, “Get to work!” and the shock that he knew he had a spectator caused her to scurry to a treadmill. 

She set the machine as low as possible and took long, slow strides. She should be asleep, or at least indulging in a macchiato. She placed her inferior drink in the holder on the treadmill and stretched her arms both wide and high, trying to wake her body and convince it to move. 

By the time Chelsea finished on the treadmill, her body was cooperating, Alvey had moved to the showers, and the gym was starting to fill. She went down to the lower level and continued working out with the bags. It felt good to place all her focus on something. The only thoughts allowed to run through her mind were on her form, her strength, and her target. This is why her dad did this. The stress of the previous night, and previous weeks, exited her body through her fist, transferring to the bag. She kept at it, with her fists and feet, until she dripped with sweat and lost track of time. She paused, wiped at her face, unsure if it was sweat or tears, not caring either way, and continued. 

With her mind occupied, her brothers could have snuck up on her, but there is nothing subtle about Jay Kulina. He spied her from across the floor and let out a loud, low whistle that turned everyone’s head. His long stride led to her as he shouted out. “Looky here, the princess has returned. I hear someone gave you a ‘Get out of Jail Free’ card.”

“Come on, man. Leave her alone,” Nate said as he got to his sister first and kissed her cheek.

When Nate moved out of the way, Jay threw his arms around her and lifted her off the ground., placing a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

“Jay!” she said. “Put me down.”

“No way,” he said. “I just walked up to you on campus and grabbed you. How are you going to get away?” 

Even as a kid, Chelsea never liked fighting. She rarely entered the cage. Her childhood was spent as a gym rat and no other options for extra -curricular activities existed. She liked the gym for the workouts it gave her. She took classes in mixed martial arts to feel strong, and between her father and two brothers, her self-defense skills were near perfect. Today, though, she was not in the mood. “Put me down,” she said. “I’m not playing.”

“Who’s playing?” Jay asked as he swung her around like a rag doll, making a show out of searching the room. “You see someone playing, Nate?” 

Nate said, “He’s more stubborn than you, Chelsea. Better find a way to free yourself.”

She took a deep breath and swung her body from side to side, trying to loosen his grip. He had her arms pinned, so this effort proved fruitless. “No elbows today, little girl,” Jay said. “Try something else.”

She inhaled again and kicked her right leg into his shin as hard as she could. She had told him she wasn’t in the mood. He let out a yelp and relaxed his hold enough for her to get free. “Yep,” Jay said, “that’ll do it.” 

Nate smiled and shook his head at his siblings, but could not stop himself from instructing as well. “Don’t forget to run for your life as soon as you break free. You’ve got to get away as fast as you can.”

“Yeah,” Chelsea said. “I know.”

Jay placed his hands on the sides of her face. “Seriously, though, you good?” He tilted her head this way and that, making a show of inspecting her. “Looks like Alvey didn’t leave any marks.”

When she realized what he was doing, she pushed him away. “Stop,” she said. “Dad doesn’t hit me.”

“Good. I’d hate to have to take the old man out.”

Nate grabbed some pads and said, ‘Come on, Chelsea, work with me.”

She threw punches and kicks at her brother as he counted them out for her, giving directions when needed. She winded quicker than usual and did not feel as strong as she liked. College courses and socializing took their toll. Commands such as, “Stop dropping your elbow,” and “Square your hips,” were fired at her from both of the boys. 

Alvey watched his children as he worked his way around the gym and, when it looked as if they were settling down he said, “Chelsea! My office. Now!” 

“Here we go,” Chelsea said to her brothers.

“Good luck,” said Nate.

“Hey!” Jay called after his sister. When she turned towards him, he pointed at her and said. “I got you, girl.”

She shook her head at him and entered her father’s office.

“You’re sloppy out there,” Alvey said from behind his desk. “Shut the door.”

Chelsea turned, obeyed, and said, “Gee, thanks. Just what every girl wants to hear.”

Alvey leaned back in his chair and threw a boot clad foot on his desk. “Don’t be a smart ass. Sit down.”

The lack of humor in his tone concerned Chelsea so she did as she was told and sat on his leather couch, as far away from him as she could get. She did not want to have this conversation. 

“There’s no gym at your school?”

She looked at him, annoyed at his expectation that she respond to a question which he knew the answer to. His silence and eyebrow raise provoked her. “I’ve been busy.”

“Yeah, you have been. Protesting. What were you even protesting?”

“Now you care?” Chelsea had no idea what the people she was with were protesting. She was going along with her new friends and that was where they went. They likely did not know why they were there either. But she was not about to reveal this to her father.

“Yeah. Now I care.” 

She chose a clamped mouth and unblinking stare as her response. He cared about himself, his gym, maybe Lisa, and what everyone around him could do for him. Things that mattered to her were of no importance. 

Alvey puffed out a breath of air, dropped his boot to the ground, and shifted his weight forward, learning over his forearms on the desk. His hardened tone softened a touch as he said, “How are your classes?”

“Fine.”

That ratcheted his temper. “Fine? Yeah, I know they’re fine.” He picked up his phone and made a show out of scrolling through it. “Text after text of nothing but ‘fine.’ Oh, wait! Here’s a ‘good.’” He tossed the phone back on the desk. “If things had been so fine and good I don’t think we’d be sitting here right now.”

A lump appeared in Chelsea’s throat. She tried to swallow it and shifted forward on the couch. The fight left her voice. “Dad, I can’t do this right now.”

“We’re doing it, honey. And we’re doing it right now. Have you talked to your mother?” he asked, switching tactics yet again.

“That’s not happening,” she said.

Alvey watched her eyes fill and bounce all over the room. “Honey, what’s going on? Talk to me.”

“Dad,” she said, meeting his gaze. “You’re busy. You have enough of your own problems, plus those of every fighter you train. I know how they unload on you. You don’t need to worry about me, too.”

“Chelsea,” he started, but her eyes shifted from him. “Look at me.” When she did he said, “I’m here for you, too. Your needs are a priority, too. Always.”

“A friend of mine died.” She had not meant to reveal that and wanted to gather it up and swallow it back down. When she couldn’t, her hot, insistent, betraying tears fell.

“What? What the fuck are you talking about? What friend?” He rose from his seat and moved next to her on the couch.  
“You don’t know him. I met him the first night. After you and Lisa dropped me off. A bunch of us were hanging in the quad. He was there. Sam. He came up to me. He was nice. He was just really nice to me. He died three days later.”

“Shit, Chelsea. What happened?”

She looked up at her father. She could not remember a time when his voice sounded so sincere. The look of concern in his eyes startled her. ”I don’t really know. Some people said he had a heart condition. I don’t think it was drugs. People who knew him said he wasn’t into drugs. That he had this heart thing from when he was little so he was always clean. He just died. The ambulance came. They worked on him. They tried to drive away from us but they had to keep stopping to work on him.”

“Wait a minute, you mean he died in front of you?” 

She nodded. “After a bit, they covered a sheet over them and drove away.”

“I’m so sorry. Baby, I am so sorry.” He pulled her towards him in a hug. She did not fight. 

“It’s ok,” she said, leaning into her father and wiping at her face. 

“It’s not ok . It’s a lot. Why didn’t you tell me? I would have helped you.” 

“There was nothing you could have done. I just tried to put it out of my mind. I thought I had. I guess not.”

“You know, we’ve talked about therapy before.” Chelsea popped into an upright position and he spoke quicker, before he lost her completely. “This is a lot,” he said again. “Plus the issues with your mother. It’s time. It’s past time.” He stood and walked to his desk. “I’ll get a number of someone.”

Feeling like her walls were back intact, Chelsea wiped her face and said, “No. I’m not doing that. I know you’ve been going for a while, and I’m glad you like it, but it’s not for me. I have too much to do with school, anyway. I can’t.”

“Please, think about it. They have counselors at your school. You need support.”

“No,” she said. “Not now. Maybe later.”

“Ok,” he said, letting the subject drop for the moment. “What’s your goal?”

It was Alvery’s favorite question. It signaled the beginning of a pep talk. She said, “Besides ending this conversation?”

“Yeah, besides that. Come on. Don’t play with me.”

“Get my degree and become a sports trainer.”

“Alright, so you’ve got to be in school, take your classes, focus on that. You’ve been behaving yourself otherwise? Ya know, when you’re not getting arrested?”

Her lips pulled in a slight smile. “Yes, dad. And stop saying that. I wasn’t actually arrested.”

Alvey nodded, “No drugs.”

She shook her head, “No.”

“Go easy with the drinking.” He was not going to presume there was none of that. “What about sex?”

“I’m not talking to you about sex.”

“Any boys I need to talk to?”

“Ok, we’re done here.” She turned toward the door.

“Wait. Not yet.” He ignored her eye roll and continued. “What do you need to do right now to move you towards your goal?”

“Actually, I need to get back to school. I have work to do. All my stuff is in the dorms.”

“I think Lisa’s going to take you shopping today.” Her face brightened in a smile he had not seen in a while. “Well, I guess that makes you happy. Ok, have dinner with us tonight and I’ll take you to school in the morning. That will give you all day tomorrow to get your shit done.”

Lisa rapped on the door and walked in before waiting for an answer. She carried a tray with three beverages from the local coffee shop.

“Oh my God,” Chelsea said before Lisa could speak. “Please tell me one of those is for me.”

Lisa smiled and pulled a cup from the tray. “Iced caramel macchiato with skim milk.” She handed it to the teen. “I figured your dad wasn’t stopping for you this morning.”

“I love you so much!” She took a long first sip which caused her eyes to close and her shoulders to fall. When she came up for air she said, “Thank you.”

It was Alvey’s turn to roll his eyes while Lisa laughed and said, “You guys done here?”

“We’re done,” Alvey said.

“Good. Go take a shower, Chelsea. I’m taking you shopping and to lunch.”

Chelsea did not need any further encouragement to beat it out of the room. 

“Come here!” Alvey said. When she slunk back to him, he grabbed her in a tight hug and kissed the top of her head. “Keep moving forward,” he said into her ear. He let her go but yelled after her. “And keep your eyes up as you walk across this gym. You are MY daughter!”

Lisa shut the door and walked toward her boy friend, “I take it that went well.”

He reached for her waist and tugged her toward him. “It did. She’s got some shit to work through, but I think she’ll be ok.” He kissed her. “Don’t spoil her today.” He kissed her.

“No promises.” She kissed him.


End file.
